Standard weapons in the Italian infantry include a revolver and two self-loading pistols. Certain noncommissioned officers, such as members of machine-gun detachments, are armed with the revolver, while officers and warrant officers carry one of the two self-loading pistols.

Shortly before the present war, the Italians decided to increase the caliber of their rifles and light machine guns from 6.5 mm (.256 in) to 7.35 mm (.289 in), and a new rifle and carbine of this caliber actually were introduced. See (2) and (5) below. However, the change-over does not seem to have progressed very far, and may even have been postponed, since rifles of the 1938 pattern fitted with a 6.5-mm barrel have been found.

(2) Rifle.—model 38: caliber, 7.35 mm. This is similar to the model 91 rifle. The main differences are that the model 38 has a larger caliber, is shorter, weighs less, and has a light folding bayonet which normally is attached to the barrel, but which can be removed and used as a dagger.

(3) Medium machine gun.—Breda, model 38: caliber, 8 mm; feed, 24-round vertical box magazine; maximum rate of fire, 600 rpm. The Italians use this gun both as an infantry machine gun and as a tank weapon. It is standard in the following tanks: the 6 1/2 ton Light (1940), the 11-ton Medium (1939), and the 13-ton Medium (1940).etc

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